Finding The Perfect Customer

Having a website is the easy part. The hard part is figuring out how to generate traffic to it without wasting your efforts. Usually you will have three types of potential customers that end up at your site.

1. Browsing Visitors: these people did not seek out your site but may have seen an ad that sounded interesting and they've decided to check it out. Rarely do these visitors end up buying anything.

2. Research Visitors: these people are actively searching for what you offer, but are not yet in the buying phase of the buying process.

3. Focused Visitors: these are your perfect customers. They are actively searching for what you are offering and are ready and willing to buy it.

Most of your visitors are usually in the first and second categories, however all three types are POTENTIAL BUYERS.

Before you begin spending a lot of time and money telling anyone and everyone about your site, you should focus on targeting only on the people who want and need your product and are willing to buy it because they are your best chance to make a sale. 

Sales channels provide different ways to target your perfect customers on the internet. There are two types of sales channels: Direct and Indirect. By incorporating both direct and indirect sales techniques you will maximize your potential net profits.

An example of a direct sales channel would be your website. Any other way a visitor is led to your site is an indirect sales channel. These may include: banner ads, social network sites, or PPC advertising.

When it comes to indirect sales channels you must first consider what other sites will your perfect customer be visiting and how can you attract them to your site. To figure this out you must first identify your perfect customer.

An easy way to identify your perfect customer is to give them a profile.Take time to answer these questions about who your perfect customer is:

1. How much money do they make?

2. Where do they live? What type of establishment (apartment, condo, home)?

3. What type of work do they do? Especially if you are selling work specific items such as steel toed shoes.

4. How old are they? An easy way to figure this out is if you want to appeal to a younger age, then focus on persons 5 years older because young people perceive themselves as older, and vice versa, if you want to appeal to an older age focus on persons 5 years younger.

5. Is your perfect customer primarily male, female or are you selling something that is gender neutral?

6. What are their hobbies and interests? How do they spend their free time?

These questions plus anything else you can think of that may be pertinent to selling your product or service such as: religious affiliation, children, medical concerns, music preferences, etc. should all be compiled to give your perfect customer a personality that best represents who will most likely buy from you.

Once you have an idea of who your perfect customer is, you are ready to begin using direct and indirect sales channels to lead them to your site!